"Tyson TYLER Sudreau! Do you want to explain why you were playing hooky, young man?!"
Tyson - Redpen to his friends, on account of how much of it could be found on his homework when he got it back - flinched. He knew it was a bad idea, but-
"Or why youDitching detention?!?!"
-but Alice had somehow convinced him and everyone that they should go to the arcade... again. They got away with it a couple times before, but this time that huge truancy officer dude caught them trying to sneak out. They'd gotten an hour's worth of detention, but about ten minutes in, they were all sick of it. Xavier and Islona had schmoozed their way out, but there was no way the rest of them could do the same thing. He was a terrible liar, for one, Alice was passed out in her chair, and Izzie was playing her DS. Weirdest of all, Zat was the only one of them actually interested in getting any work done - though, his pencil broke in his hands, so he was sorta just sitting there.
After only about ten mintues, Red started worrying - if he couldn't get outta here in time, he'd miss Ip Man 2 at the movie theater! But them, suddenly and improbably luckily, the Quelayde High mascot streaked out by the door, and their detention teacher ran out to stop him. Xavier, smooth as he was, somehow managed to get the teach to chase after him, and they'd all got the hell outta there - though teach was close behind.
It looked like they were home-free when they got out into the parking lot, mostly everyone going for their bikes, when-
"Insubordinance! LYING to teachers!"
-When they got caught. By the same guy, even! He'd tried to convince him to let them go with some story about how Xav's mom was in the hospital... but of course, he didn't buy it.
His mother's voice went shrill. "Attacking a teacher?!?"
Red still wasn't sure why, but Zat got really pissed off and started smacking the teacher with his bat.
"But Mom, I wasn't fighting, I was trying to make everyone calm d-"
"WITH FIRE!?!"
"No, Mom! My hands spuh- sponta- sp- were suddenly on fire, and then I tried to get the teacher to help me but all he wanted to do was smack me an' Zat's heads together!"
"Do you REALLY expect me to believe that load of malarky?!"
"But it's tru-"
"When did I raise such a hooligan?! I bet it's those little friends of yours, you never use to do these things in middle school. Like that big thug that attacked the teacher with a bat. Or that Alice girl. She does drugs, I just know she does drugs."
"That's not tr-"
"You just met them, too!"
"Well, y-"
"NO! No more excuses! Go to your room, don't touch your video games, don't touch your music and don't touch your computer! You are GROUNDED young man and you think about why you shouldn't fight with your TEACHERS! WITH FIRE!"
"But-"
"NO BUTS! When your father gets home we are going to be in so much trouble young man!"
"B-"
"One more time and I WILL tear up your Bruce Lee posters! Do NOT test me young man!"
Defeated, Redpen slunk up to his room - bumping his head into the doorway on accident, as an extra humiliation. Being tall sucked.
When Zat attacked the teacher, Red was going to try to calm things down... but then - and he had still no idea why or even how - his's hands spontaneously combusted. He panicked, what with suddenly being on fire and all, and had tried to get the only authority figure there to help him. He guess he might've sorta... slapped him a couple times, but he was panicking! And all the teacher did was beat him up!
The girls all stood in the back while the whole debacle (he learned that word in English last week) went down - they were probably gonna get off way easier than him, Zat and Xav were. Xav had kept jumping off ramps with his bike at the teach, too, stabbing at him with a broom like he was some kind of knight from King Arthur. Except, like... on a giant flying bird or something.
And when he tried to get out of there with Xav - since his hands were on fire, he couldn't really ride his bike out, even if he'd gotten it unlocked - Xav thought he wanted to get tacos or... something. Even peddling their way to the arcade, he kept going on about the "best taco place in town". His friends could be so stupid sometimes... Hell, the tacos weren't even that good.
At least he got to watch Ip Man 2 before he came home. Mom and dad probably weren't going to let him out to see another movie until Sammo Hung decided to slim down. With nothing to do, he folded his legs into the lotus position, breathed in, and...
From downstairs, "NO MEDITATING!"
"Aww..."
